KR20190004039A - Method and apparatus for switching driving mode of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a method and an apparatus for switching a drive mode of a vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus for switching a drive mode of a vehicle comprises: a steering wheel pressure detection unit detecting grip pressure applied to a steering wheel of the vehicle in a state that a drive mode of the vehicle is a self-drive mode; a switching condition determination unit determining whether the grip pressure corresponds to a switching condition of the drive mode; and a drive mode switching unit switching the drive mode from the self-drive mode to a driver drive mode when the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for switching a traveling mode of a vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for switching a traveling mode of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a technique for switching a traveling mode of the vehicle from autonomous driving to driver driving based on a pressure applied to a steering wheel of the vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is a core technology for opening up the smart car era of the future, classifies according to driver's degree of interference with driving control. ~ L4, and finally pursues an unmanned vehicle that excludes driver interference.

Unmanned automobiles are equipped with cameras, direction indicators, artificial intelligence software, and GPS to analyze and interpret information. The rider, which is mounted on a car roof, consists of 64 remote lasers, sound equipment, and 3D cameras . Unmanned vehicles can create a 3D map of the surrounding environment to measure distances between objects and detect danger.

However, when the unmanned vehicle enters a lane which is not indicated in the hacking or navigation of the main system, the traffic signal and the traffic police signal are different, and a part of the sensors necessary for autonomous travel is inoperable, Since intervention is indispensable, studies on conditional autonomous driving, that is, an eclectic autonomous driving method, which requires the driver's final judgment, are also under way.

Therefore, there have been proposed techniques for switching the driving mode of the vehicle from the autonomous driving to the driving of the driver through the judgment of the driver, but the procedure is complicated and the switching of the driving mode is not simple and quick.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle driving control system that can confirm a driver's will by a simple and quick method, And to provide a way to switch.

In order to achieve the above object, a driving mode switching device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a grip pressure applied to a steering wheel of a vehicle in a self traveling mode of the vehicle A handle pressure detecting unit for detecting a handle pressure; A switching condition determining unit for determining whether the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition of the traveling mode; And a traveling mode switching unit for switching the traveling mode from the autonomous traveling to the driver traveling when the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a vehicle including the steps of: (a) sensing a grip pressure applied to a handle of the vehicle in a self-running mode of the vehicle; (b) determining whether the grip pressure corresponds to a switching condition of the traveling mode; And (c) if the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition, switching the traveling mode from the autonomous travel to the driver traveling.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to confirm the driver's will in a simple and quick manner and to change the driving mode of the vehicle from autonomous driving to driver driving.

Further, the traveling mode can be switched in a safe state in consideration of the curvature of the lane and the distance to the preceding vehicle when the vehicle is switched to the traveling mode.

It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects and include all effects that can be deduced from the detailed description of the present invention or the configuration of the invention described in the claims.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traveling mode switching device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a distribution of a pressure sensor installed on a handle of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it includes not only "directly connected" but also "indirectly connected" .

Also, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements, not excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traveling mode switching device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The driving mode switching apparatus 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a steering wheel pressure sensing unit 110, a mode switching condition determining unit 120, a driving mode switching unit 130, a driving control unit 140, (150) and a storage unit (160).

The present invention quickly switches the driving mode of the vehicle from autonomous driving to driver driving by using the grip pressure applied to the steering wheel of the vehicle while the driving mode of the vehicle is autonomous, The present invention is an invention that minimizes the risk of simple and quick switching of the driving mode and the traveling mode by allowing the traveling mode switching to be performed only when the two conditions are satisfied.

A description will now be given of components of the driving mode switching device 100 for this purpose. The steering wheel pressure sensing part 110 can sense the grip pressure applied to the steering wheel of the vehicle. Here, the 'grip pressure' refers to the strength with which the occupant grips the steering wheel of the vehicle, and the handle pressure sensing part 110 includes a handle, which includes at least one of the strength of the grip pressure, It is possible to detect the pressure information and provide it to the switching condition judging unit 120. For reference, a pressure sensor may be installed on the handle of the vehicle to detect the steering wheel pressure information.

2 is a view showing a distribution of a pressure sensor installed in a handle 200 of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 (a), the pressure-sensitive sensor may be distributed over all portions of the handle 200 and may be distributed only to a particular portion 210, as shown in FIG. 2 (b) have.

Herein, the specific portion 210 may include a handle portion at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position, and a portion at 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock position.

The grip pressure sensing of the handle pressure sensing unit 110 may be performed at any time or may be performed by the control unit 150 so that the grip pressure is sensed when the lane on which the vehicle is traveling is a straight road or the curvature of the lane or the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined value. Lt; / RTI >

On the other hand, the mode switching condition determining unit 120 determines whether the grip pressure detected by the handle pressure detecting unit 110 corresponds to a switching condition of the traveling mode, that is, a condition that allows the traveling mode to be switched from the self-traveling to the driver .

Here, 'autonomous driving' is a state in which at least two functions, such as cruise control and lane keeping, can be automatically performed, and the driver can control the driving at any time, and can move in a state in which the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal can be moved, (L3), a safety-critical function is automatically activated (L3), a fully autonomous state of operation known as a running state And a state L4 in which monitoring by the driver is not required.

In addition, 'driver driving' is a state (L0) and semi-autonomous driving state in which the driver has all control over the driving of the vehicle, which is a general driving method, and the driver controls most driving functions. State, or the like. For reference, L0 to L5 denote L0 to L4, which are classified according to the degree of driver interference of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The mode switching condition determination unit 120 determines that the grip pressure is detected in two portions of the steering wheel and the grip pressure intensities of the two detected portions are equal to or greater than a predetermined value, It can be determined that the grip pressure satisfies the " primary mode switching condition " when it continues for a predetermined time or for a predetermined time or more.

Here, it is preferable that the intensity of the grip pressure for satisfying the primary mode switching condition is generally set larger than the driver grasping the handle for driving. In other words, if an act of intentionally grasping the handle by using a force larger than usual occurs, it is determined that there is a will to switch to the traveling mode.

For reference, the mode switching condition determining unit 120 may determine whether the primary mode switching condition is satisfied by further reflecting the case where the area where the grip pressure is sensed is greater than or equal to a predetermined value when determining the primary mode switching condition.

If it is determined that the primary mode switching condition is satisfied, the mode switching condition determiner 120 notifies the driver to hold a predetermined portion (for example, 10 o'clock direction and 2 o'clock direction) . Here, the 'notification' may be outputted as a voice or a specific sound through a speaker, or may be outputted as a character or an image through a display device. If the grip pressure is sensed at a predetermined portion of the handle by the driver after the notification is output, the mode change condition determination unit 120 determines that the grip pressure intensities of the two portions sensed at the two predetermined portions are equal to or greater than a predetermined value And it is determined that the grip pressure satisfies the 'secondary mode switching condition' when it is continued for a predetermined time or for a predetermined time or more.

For reference, the grip pressure intensities and duration that satisfy the primary mode switching condition and the secondary mode switching condition may be the same in both the primary condition and the secondary condition, and the primary condition and the secondary condition may be different May be set.

On the other hand, when the mode switching condition determiner 120 determines that the grip pressure of the driver satisfies both the primary mode switching condition and the secondary mode switching condition, the driving mode switching unit 130 switches the present driving mode from the self- You can switch to driving.

At this time, the traveling mode switching unit 130 can determine the levels (L0, L1) of driving according to the curvature of the traveling lane for safety in switching the traveling mode. In one embodiment, the traveling mode switching unit 130 can change the traveling mode to the level L0 of driving when the traveling lane is straight or less than a predetermined curvature near the straight line at the time of switching the traveling mode. That is, in a state in which the vehicle runs on a straight lane, the driver is given full control of driving.

Even if the vehicle is traveling in a straight lane, if the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed at the time of switching the traveling mode, or if the preceding vehicle (or obstacle) exists within a predetermined distance, Is switched from the autonomous running mode to the driver running level L1 so that the brakes are automatically controlled and the running mode is switched to the driver running level L0 after the vehicle speed is reduced below the predetermined speed.

In another embodiment, when the running lane exceeds a predetermined curvature at the time of switching to the running mode, the running mode switching section 130 can switch the running mode from the autonomous running to the driver running level L1. In this case, the brakes are automatically controlled so as to travel less than a predetermined speed for safety, and the steering angle of the steering wheel can be controlled until the steering angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle becomes less than a predetermined steering angle.

This is because, from the driver's standpoint, it is difficult to immediately recognize the steering wheel steering angle corresponding to the curvature of the current driving lane after switching from the driving mode after the steering wheel is not steered during autonomous driving, This is to prevent accidents that occur in advance.

Thereafter, when the driving lane becomes less than a predetermined curvature, the driving mode switching unit 130 can release the automatic control of the brakes and the steering angle of the steering wheel, and switch the level of driver's driving from L1 to L2.

In order to perform the above-described operation, the vehicle includes a steering angle sensor for sensing a steering angle of the steering wheel, a distance sensor for sensing a distance to the surrounding vehicle or surrounding objects, a radar sensor for estimating the curvature of the road, And the traveling mode switching unit 130 may perform the above-described operation using the sensing information obtained from the sensors installed in the vehicle.

On the other hand, when the traveling mode is switched from the autonomous travel (L2 to L4) to the driver's travel (L0, L1) by the travel mode switching unit 130, the travel control unit 140 changes the curvature of the traveling lane and the distance to the preceding vehicle Thus, it is possible to control at least one of the steering angle and the brake of the steering wheel.

Specifically, if the driving lane is a straight line or less than a predetermined curvature and no preceding vehicle exists in the driving lane at the time of switching to the traveling mode, but the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, the travel control unit 140 determines that the current vehicle speed The brake can be controlled to be below the speed.

When the grip pressure for switching the driving mode is sensed in the handle pressure sensing unit 110, if the condition that the current vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed as one of the conditions for switching the driving mode is included, The brake control of the travel control unit 140 may be omitted when the traveling lane is straight or less than a predetermined curvature at the time of mode switching and the preceding vehicle does not exist in the lane of travel.

In addition, when the curvature of the traveling lane exceeds the predetermined curvature at the time of switching the traveling mode, the travel control unit 140 can control the steering angle of the steering wheel until the steering angle of the vehicle becomes less than a predetermined steering angle. At this time, it is also possible to control the brakes so that the proper distance from the vehicle is maintained, depending on whether or not the preceding vehicle exists in the driving lane.

To this end, the travel control unit 140 can control the steering angle of the steering wheel based on the curvature of the traveling road and the curvature of the steering wheel using the steering angle of the vehicle handle. In one embodiment, the tangent to the vehicle position can be extracted from the circle corresponding to the curvature of the vehicle, and the tangent to the vehicle position can be extracted from the circle corresponding to the running curvature of the vehicle. And the angle formed by the tangent line corresponding to the running curvature of the vehicle can be used to control the steering angle of the steering wheel to be less than a predetermined steering angle. In addition, various known techniques can be used to control the steering angle of the steering wheel to be less than a predetermined steering angle.

As mentioned above, as to the speed of the vehicle, one of the conditions for switching the traveling mode is to decelerate to less than a predetermined speed, or if not, the vehicle speed is controlled to be slower than the predetermined speed by controlling the brake at the switching of the traveling mode Or an appropriate distance may be maintained depending on the presence of the preceding vehicle in the driving lane.

The control unit 150 controls the operation of the components of the driving mode switching device 100 such as the handle pressure sensing unit 110, the mode switching condition determining unit 120, the driving mode switching unit 130, 140 to perform the above-described operation, and can control the storage unit 160 or the like.

Meanwhile, the storage unit 160 may store various data required or derived in the process of controlling according to the algorithm and the algorithm for controlling the components of the driving mode switching device 100 by the control unit 150.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a process of confirming the driver's intention to change the driving mode using the grip pressure sensed by the steering wheel of the vehicle while the driving mode of the vehicle is an autonomous driving mode, and may be performed by the driving mode switching device 100. [

In a state in which the running mode of the vehicle is an autonomous running mode, the running mode switching device 100 detects the grip pressure applied to the steering wheel of the vehicle (S301).

After S301, the travel mode switching device 100 determines whether the sensed grip pressure satisfies the primary mode switching condition, that is, whether the sensed part is two-part, exceeds a predetermined pressure, and is detected for a predetermined time or more (S302).

For reference, the primary mode switching condition may further include a condition that the sensing area of the grip pressure exceeds a predetermined area.

If the primary mode switching condition is satisfied as a result of the determination in S302, the driving mode switching device 100 notifies the driver of the two predetermined portions of the steering wheel, for example, to apply the grip pressure to the 10 o'clock direction and the 2 o'clock direction of the steering wheel (S303).

When the grip pressure is sensed after S303, the driving mode switching device 100 determines whether the detected grip pressure satisfies the secondary mode switching condition, that is, whether the sensed portion satisfies the predetermined two portions Direction) and a predetermined pressure is exceeded and it is detected for a predetermined time or more (S304).

If it is determined in step S304 that the secondary mode switching condition is satisfied, the driving mode switching device 100 switches the traveling mode from autonomous driving to driver driving (S305).

If it is determined in step S304 that the second mode switching condition is not satisfied, the driving mode switching device 100 determines that the driver is not willing to change the driving mode or that the driver has accidentally grabbed the steering wheel, Can be terminated.

For reference, the condition for determining whether the current speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed may be further included in at least one of the primary mode switching condition and the secondary mode switching condition. That is, for safety, the traveling mode can be switched when the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined speed.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a driving control according to a curvature of a driving lane and the presence of a preceding vehicle when the driving mode is changed according to the procedure of FIG. 3, and may be performed by the driving mode switching device 100.

The traveling mode switching device 100 determines whether the curvature of the traveling lane is less than a predetermined curvature at the time of switching the traveling mode (S401).

Here, when the curvature of the running lane is less than a predetermined curvature, it can mean that the lane is close to a straight line or a straight lane.

As a result of the determination in S401, if the vehicle is in a straight lane or less than a predetermined curvature, the driving mode switching device 100 determines whether a preceding vehicle exists in the corresponding lane (S402).

If it is determined in step S402 that the preceding vehicle exists, the driving mode switching device 100 determines whether the distance from the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance (S403).

That is, it can be determined whether or not the distance from the preceding vehicle is maintained at an appropriate distance, and the appropriate distance can be set in accordance with the speed of the vehicle.

As a result of the determination in S403, if the distance to the preceding vehicle is less than the predetermined distance, the driving mode switching device 100 controls the brakes so as to secure the safety distance, decelerates the vehicle speed so as to switch the traveling mode from the self- (S404).

As a result of the determination in S402, if the preceding vehicle does not exist, or if the distance to the preceding vehicle exceeds the predetermined distance as a result of the determination in S403, the mode switching apparatus 100 completes the switching of the traveling mode from the autonomous traveling to the driver traveling L0 (S405).

For reference, the driving mode switching device 100 may control the braking so that the speed of the current vehicle is less than a predetermined speed in order to ensure safety in switching the driving mode. Or may be performed later.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a driving mode switching process of a vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a driving control according to the curvature of the driving lane and the presence of the preceding vehicle when the driving mode is changed according to the procedure of FIG. 3, and may be performed by the driving mode switching device 100.

The traveling mode switching device 100 determines that the curvature of the traveling lane exceeds the predetermined curvature at the time of switching the traveling mode, that is, the traveling lane is not a straight lane (S501).

After S501, the travel mode switching device 100 controls the steering angle of the steering wheel until the steering angle of the vehicle becomes equal to or less than the predetermined steering angle (S502)

After S502, the travel mode switching device 100 determines whether a preceding vehicle exists in the driving lane (S503).

If it is determined in step S503 that the preceding vehicle exists, the driving mode switching device 100 determines whether the distance from the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance (S504).

As a result of the determination in S504, if the distance from the preceding vehicle is less than the predetermined distance, the driving mode switching device 100 controls the brake to secure the safety distance to decelerate the vehicle speed so as to switch the traveling mode from the self- (S505).

As a result of the determination in S503, if the preceding vehicle does not exist or the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle exceeds the predetermined distance as a result of the determination in S504, the mode switching apparatus 100 completes the switching of the traveling mode from the autonomous traveling to the driver traveling L0 (S506).

For reference, it is described that the steering angle of the steering wheel is firstly controlled in step S502, and thereafter the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle is determined. However, according to the embodiment, the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle may be determined first, The brakes can also be controlled depending on the presence of the vehicle.

The above-described technical features may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and that those of ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. will be.

100: Travel mode switching device
110: Handle pressure sensing part
120: Mode switching condition judging unit
130: traveling mode switching section
140:
150:
160:

Claims (13)

A handle pressure sensing unit for sensing a grip pressure applied to a handle of the vehicle in a state in which the running mode of the vehicle is autonomous;
A switching condition determining unit for determining whether the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition of the traveling mode; And
And a traveling mode switching unit for switching the traveling mode from the autonomous traveling to the driver traveling when the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the switching condition judging section judges that the switching condition corresponds to the case where the grip pressure is equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure for a predetermined period of time or longer.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the switching condition determining unit determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the grip pressure is sensed at one or more portions of the handle.
The method according to claim 1,
The switching condition judging unit judges that the grip pressure is sensed at two portions of the handle and is sensed for a predetermined time longer than a predetermined pressure in the two sensed portions so as to satisfy the first condition among the switching conditions When the grip pressure is detected for a predetermined time equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure in two portions of the predetermined position of the steering wheel, And determines that the condition is satisfied.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the handle pressure sensing unit senses the grip pressure only when the curvature of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is less than a predetermined value and when the speed of the vehicle is less than a predetermined value. Switching device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein when the traveling mode is switched from the autonomous travel to the driver traveling, the curvature of the vehicle traveling the vehicle, the steering angle of the steering wheel, the speed of the vehicle, and the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle present in the traveling lane Further comprising a travel control section for controlling at least one of a steering angle of the steering wheel and a brake based on the above.
The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the driving control unit controls the steering angle of the steering wheel until the steering angle of the steering wheel is reduced to a predetermined angle or less when the curvature of the road on which the vehicle is traveling exceeds a predetermined value Driving mode switching device.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the travel control unit controls the brake to maintain the predetermined distance when the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is less than a predetermined distance.
(a) detecting a grip pressure applied to a handle of the vehicle in a state that the running mode of the vehicle is an autonomous running;
(b) determining whether the grip pressure corresponds to a switching condition of the traveling mode; And
(c) if the grip pressure corresponds to the switching condition, switching the traveling mode from the autonomous travel to the driver traveling.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the step (b) determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the grip pressure is equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure for a predetermined period of time or longer.
11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the step (b) determines that the switching condition is satisfied when the grip pressure is sensed at one or more portions of the handle.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein if the grip pressure is sensed at two portions of the handle and the sensed two portions are sensed for a predetermined time period equal to or greater than a predetermined pressure, the step (b) So as to output a notification for confirming the driver's intention to switch the mode of travel; And determining that the second condition of the switching condition is satisfied when the grip pressure is sensed for a predetermined time period exceeding a predetermined pressure at two portions of the predetermined position of the handle How to change the driving mode.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein, when the driving mode is switched from the autonomous driving mode to the driver driving mode, the step (c) includes: calculating a curvature of the driving lane, a steering angle of the steering wheel, a speed of the vehicle, Further comprising controlling at least one of a steering angle and a brake of the steering wheel based on at least one of a distance to the vehicle and a distance to the vehicle.

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